On Wednesday, May 16, advocates were optimistic that legislation requiring emergency contraception to be stocked on all military bases would pass in the House. “We had the votes on Wednesday night. Things were looking good,” says Monica Castellanos, press secretary for Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine), one of the lead co-sponsors of the amendment that was scheduled for a vote the… return to article
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Reader Comments (5)Page 1 of 1 pages“almost a third of military women reported being the victim of rape or attempted rape during their tenure in the military.”
This is an argument for Plan B? Really? Maybe we should focus on rape prevention. . . (of course, the statistic above may very well be hugely exaggerated).
“they [military women] are only allowed to have abortions if they are the victims of sexual assault and are willing to report the assault.”
This is an apparently ridiculous claim. Is this somehow officially codified? Even if it is, how could it possibly be enforced? (It would be much easier to believe that the military would not perform the abortions, rather than out and out prohibit them.
Of course, it would be quite easy for women to buy and bring emergency contraceptives (and pregnancy tests/whatever) if they think ahead. But i see no reason they should not be able to purchase such supplies from the base pharmacies.
Posted by wolf on Jun 14, 2007 at 8:36 AM “[Women in the military] are only allowed to have abortions if they are the victims of sexual assault and are willing to report the assault.”
I had no idea this was true. How can the standards of care and access be so drastically different for civilians and members of the service? At a base level, it’s the same issue as not stocking EC; it’s restricting access to a dependent population (service members depend on the military to provide for their needs) in such a way that it enforces a particular set of values. It’s grossly unjust.
Wolf, your notion that “of course, it would be quite easy for women to buy and bring emergency contraceptives (and pregnancy tests/whatever) if they think ahead” is not only insulting, but misses the point entirely. The point is that the military provides medical care (as well as all other basic necessities) to the people who enroll. Reproductive care is part of basic medical care, and refusing to provide it is putting political bickering ahead of human rights.
Just as service members ought not need to bring their own food, they ought not need to bring their own medications - including EC.
Posted by karpydiem on Jun 14, 2007 at 1:23 PM “Beth, a major in the Army Reserves, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was sexually assaulted by a noncommissioned officer. She testified that she was given “a lot of [birth control] pills to take” instead of emergency contraception.”
To be fair, “a lot of birth control pills” is the exact same thing as EC: EC is just a large dose of hormones meant to prevent. So if regular birth control is available on base, it’s not like there is no recourse. It still seems like women should have access to it though.
I do find it alarming that there is Levitra available, which seems to encourage male sexual activity, but that to get an abortion a woman has to come forward with a sexual assault charge, which appears to punish female sexual activity.
Posted by brenda on Jun 14, 2007 at 4:16 PM Hi, y’all!
I’ve been away for a while(summer school, Proust )
Brenda,
Why find sexist double standards alarming? They are de rigeur in our culture. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that this kind of stupidity exists.
This is what happens when puritanical ignoramuses (or is it ignorami?) are allowed to get into power.
Frankly, the prospect of having women in combat zones or in situations of prolonged confinement is problematic at best. I honestly don’t see why those women in combat are not simply given birth control pills from the outset, if not to prevent pregnancy ,then at least to curtail the menstrual cycle while in the combat zone?
Oh, that’s right! Puritanical ignoramuses! I forgot!
I swear, this administration couldn’t make a cup of coffee without ideology getting in the way.
I’m also mystified that the Democrats are not standing up and loudly pointing out the flaws and mistakes of this administration. it doesn’t get any easier than this bunch of sorry screw-ups!
Democratic politicians,
Sniping a dairy cow is easy. You do, however, have to point the gun at the cow to hit it. It won’t walk up to the barrel and suck the bullet out. After eight years of BU**SH**, you should have a litany prepared for the ‘08 debates.
Posted by Aunty Rightwing on Jun 17, 2007 at 9:39 PM Oh, I almost forgot.
Ta-Ta !
( the phone rang.)
Posted by Aunty Rightwing on Jun 17, 2007 at 9:49 PM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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Also by Beccah Golubock Watson
- Democrats Shy Away From Emergency Contraception
Did the Democrats leave military servicewomen without EC for political reasons?
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